Method of cooling and distributing compressed air for refrigerating and ventilating



. (No Model.)

T. S. VERY.

METHOD OF 000mm AND DISTRIBUTING COMPRESSED AIR FOR RBPRIGERATING AND VENTILATING PURPOSES.

ented'Apr. 17,1883.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFErcE.

THEODORE S. VERY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

METHOD OF COOLING AND DISTRIBUTING COMPRESSED AIR FOR REFRIGERATING AND VENTILATING PURPOSES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 275,964, dated April 17, 1883,

Application filed August 16, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE S. VERY, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Methods of Cooling and Distributing Compressed Air for Refrigerating and Ventilating Purposes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to supplying public and private buildings with compressed and refrigerated air from a central station for ventilating and refrigerating purposes; and it has for its object, first, to provide an improved method. of cooling the air for said purposes, and, secondly, to maintain the temperature of the air distributed through a system of underground pipes at a point sufficiently low to enable said air to be efiectively used at points considerably remote from the central station.

To these ends the invention consists in first compressing and refrigerating the air, and, secondly, forcing the compressed air through a main supply-pipe or conduit for distribution, said main conduit being passed through a casing or casings supplied with cold air which is independent of the air in the conduit, whereby the temperature of the latter is maintained at a permanently low point, as I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of'the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a plan view of two buildings supplied with compressed air in the manner embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents a transverse section, on an enlarged scale, of the main conduit and its casing.

The same letters relate to the same parts in both figures.

In the drawings, a, represents a central opcrating station or building, within which is located a suitable air compressing and forcing apparatus, 0, and an air cooling or refrigerating apparatus, 1). The mechanical construction of the apparatus 0 and bforms no part of myinvention,and they may be variously modified.

In carrying out my invention I first compress the air to any required degree and afterward force the same into and through a main supply-pipe or conduit, 0, and distribute the same first forcing the same through the refrigerating chamber or apparatus 1), the said apparatus being interposed between the compressor 0 and the conduit, as shown in Fig. 1; or the air may be artificially cooled before being compressed, in which case the compressor 0 would be interposed between the refrigerator 1) and the conduit 0, taking the refrigerated air from the former and forcing the same directly into the latter, either method'of subjecting the air to artificial refrigeration and compression before it enters the conduit being within the spirit of my invention.

In order to prevent the temperature of the air within the conduit from rising when the conduit is extended to a considerable distance from the central station, I pass said conduit through a casing, preferably a pipe, f, of considerably greater internal area than the conduit 0, so that an annular space, a, surrounds the conduit. The pipefis connected by means of branch pipes g with suitable refrigerating chambers or machines, h, said refrigerating apparatus having connected therewith airforcing apparatus t, adapted to force cold air from or through the refrigerators it, through the pipe g, into the annular space 0, surrounding the main conduit 0, within thepipe f. By locating the refrigerators hat proper distances apart along the route of distribution and forcing a continuous stream or current of cold air from said refrigerators into the pipe f and around the conduit 0, as described, the compressed air within the latter will be prevented from rising in temperature when the conduit is extended to a considerable distance from the central station, and said compressed air may therefore be delivered at the points at at a temperature sufficiently low to enable the same to be effectively used for refrigerating and purifying purposes. The pipe fmay be of wood or of comparatively light construction, and may be incased in a jacket composed of any approved material which is a non-conductor of heat.

The air-forein g apparatus i is preferably an IOC ordinary blower driven by a suitable motor, which may be operated by compressed air diverted for the purpose from the conduit 0.

I do not limit myself to the use of a continuous casing, f, surrounding the conduit 0, as for short distances, or when otherwise desirable, the use of a continuous outer pipe, f, may be dispensed with and the conduit 0 conducted directly through the refrigeratingchambers h, said chambers thus forming a series of independent casings located at intervals along the line of distribution, and containing a supply of cold air surrounding the conduit and preventing the compressed air within the latter from rising in temperature. In such cases of course the use of the blowers i would not be required.

It will be observed that by conducting the conduit 0 through a casing or casings supplied with cold air independent of the air within the conduit the compressedair passing through said conduit will be delivered at the points 61 ata low temperature, whether said compressed air has been subjected to artificial refrigeration at the central station or not.

The compressed air may be received at the points 01 in refrigerating-chambers l, and afterbeing used for the purposes of refrigeration may be distributed throughout the building for ventilating the same, and finally discharged into the street-sewers in the manner described in my application for Letters Patent of the United States allowed July 2, 1881.

When required, the compressed air may be used as a motor at the points of delivery--as, for instance, to drive a fan or an elevatorand the exhaust used for refrigerating and ventilating purposes, as above described.

I claim- 1. The method of maintaining a low degree of temperature in a conduit for'cold air, consisting in passing said conduit through a continuous casing or casings forming a space around the conduit, but not connected there-' with, and supplying said space with cold air which is independent of the air in the conduit, as set forth.

2. The'combination of a pipe or conduit, means for forcing air through the same, a casing surrounding said conduit and forming a space around the same, and air-cooling apparatus to supply cold air to said space, as set forth.

3. The combination of a pipe or conduit, means for forcing air through the same, a continuous casing surrounding said pipe or conduit and forming a space around the same, and refrigerating apparatus and air-forcing mechanism operating in connection with said apparatus to force cold air into-said space, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The herein-described method of cooling air and keeping the same at a low degree of temperature, consistin gin compressing and refrigerating the air, forcing it into a conduit, and surrounding said conduit with cold air, as set forth.

In testimony whereofl have signed myname to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 10th day of August, A. D. 1881.

rnnononn s. VERY;

Witnesses:

H. G. WADLIN, D. B. MORRISON. 

